Oral Health

Looking for Oral Health in Fountain Hills? For an appointment at Fountain Hills Dental Care call our office today at 480-837-2000 or make an appointment today.

Bad Breath

Bad breath is an unpleasant condition that's cause for embarrassment. If you're concerned about bad breath, see your dentist. He or she can help identify the cause and, if it's due to an oral condition, develop a treatment plan to help eliminate it. Regular checkups will allow your dentist to detect any problems such as periodontal disease, a dry mouth or other disorders. Other dental causes of bad breath include poorly fitting dental appliances, yeast infections of the mouth, and dental cavities. Maintaining good oral hygiene, eliminating periodontal disease and scheduling regular professional cleanings are essential to reducing bad breath.

If you have an extensive buildup of plaque, an invisible layer of bacteria, your dentist may recommend using a special antimicrobial toothpaste or mouth rinse. Antiseptic and antibacterial mouth rinses and toothpastes can be beneficial in reducing plaque and gingivitis and also have breath freshening properties. Instead of simply masking breath odor, some of these products have been demonstrated to kill the germs that cause bad breath.

Cold Sore Treatment

Cold sores are a common nuisance. Although there is no cure for the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) that causes them, cold sore breakouts can be managed and avoided. Cold sores, sometimes called fever blisters, appear around the lips and mouth and are often associated with red, swollen and irritated skin around the breakout areas.

Symptoms of Cold Sores:

Pain around the mouth

Fever and sore throat

Swollen neck glands

Causes of Cold Sore Outbreaks:

Stress

Chapped Lips

Extreme sunlight exposure

Physical exhaustion or illness

Even though no cure exists for the cold sore virus, Fountain Hills Dental Care can provide you with antiviral medication to control the outbreaks and relieve any pain or irritation you are experiencing. You can also avoid developing cold sores by avoiding sharing utensils and drinking cups with others that may be infected.

Comprehensive Exams

The mouth is often considered a window to the rest of the body because many other illnesses first present themselves as changes within the mouth. As a result, a comprehensive oral exam is recommended each time you visit a new practice to serve as a benchmark of your overall health.

During an examination, your dentist will perform a visual examination as well as a more detailed dental examination using one or more X-rays to detect:

New cavities

Weaknesses in already installed crowns, fillings, and bridgework

Gum or bone recession

Teeth deterioration due to abnormal bite, bruxism, or TMJ

Your dentist will also perform a visual and digital examination of lymph nodes throughout the face and neck, looking for any abnormalities, pain or flexibility within the nodes that could be markers for disease. Likewise, a similar examination of your lips, gums, tongue, and other internal mouth surfaces will be conducted. Again, this is to seek out any signs of illness or disease.

Since the comprehensive dental exam is designed to set a baseline of your health and to catch any early signs of serious illness that may be otherwise undetected, your dentist will be on the lookout for the following illnesses which can be detected during a comprehensive oral evaluation:

Diabetes

Leukemia

Blood pressure

Cardiovascular problems

Oral cancer

Immune abnormalities

Sinus problems

With a comprehensive exam every six months, we can manage small dental problems before they grow into larger, more complicated issues. Keep up to date with thorough dental checkups at Fountain Hills Dental Care. Call us at 480-837-2000 to schedule an appointment.

Fluoride

Gentle Professional Cleanings

Everyone over the age of four or five should visit their dentist for professional teeth cleaning at least twice a year. It's a procedure for the removal of tartar that may develop even with careful brushing and flossing, especially in areas that are difficult to reach during routine toothbrushing. Professional cleaning includes an examination of your teeth and gums, tooth scaling (removal of plaque) and tooth polishing. It involves the use of various instruments or devices to loosen and remove deposits from the teeth. At Fountain Hills Dental Care, we provide comfortable, gentle hygiene cleanings. If we find a cause for concern, we may recommend a deep gum cleaning to remove tartar below the gum line, smooth out surfaces where plaque builds up and eliminate bacterial infection.

Important Reasons to Get Professional Cleanings

To detect possible health risks, such as oral cancer and gum disease

To prevent tooth loss

To maintain good physical health

To eliminate bad breath

To have a brighter, whiter smile

The Teeth Cleaning Process

Physical exam, using a small mirror to check teeth and gums for any signs of gingivitis or other concerns

Removal of plaque and tartar, using a scaler

Gritty toothpaste cleaning, using a high-powered electric brush

Expert flossing by the dental hygienist

Rinsing, to get rid of any debris

Applying fluoride treatment, to help fight against cavities for several months

Mouth Guards

Custom-fit mouth guards are prescribed and created by a dental professional from thermoplastic material and are based on a detailed mold taken of your mouth and teeth. They can be made for either sports or for nighttime teeth grinding and are created differently depending on the intended use. They're highly personalized, as your dentist can adjust the thickness of the mouthguard, and they're designed to fit perfectly in your mouth with no adjustments needed.

First, your dentist will take an impression of your teeth. This is generally done using a dental putty that forms to all the crevices of each tooth and creates an exact mold of your smile. The mold is then sent to the lab, where the actual mouthguard is created. The structure is made by layering superheated plastic to precise specifications and is then cooled to create an extremely durable piece of dental wear.

Because custom mouth guards are so precisely made, they are able to provide you with optimal safety and comfort. The level of protection afforded by custom-fitted mouthguards is unrivalled by any other mouthguard, and their durability is enhanced by the snug shape, which hugs each tooth closely, eliminating unwanted movement.

Night Guards

If you're experiencing chronic headaches and migraines because of involuntary night-time teeth clenching, let Fountain Hills Dental Care help you with a night guard. A night guard is a thin, transparent device that is worn over the biting surface of your teeth while you sleep to prevent contact between the upper and lower teeth. Night guards have also proven to be an effective remedy for patients who are suffering from the effects of grinding and clenching their teeth while sleeping.

Oral Cancer Screening

The dental community is the first line of defense in early detection of oral cancer. The goal of oral cancer screening is to detect mouth cancer or precancerous lesions that may lead to mouth cancer at an early stage — when cancer or lesions are easiest to remove and most likely to be cured. When found at the early stages of development, oral cancers have an 80-90% survival rate. Early detection is imperative!

Periodontal / Gum Disease Treatment

Periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease, is caused by bacteria in plaque. If not consistently removed, this bacteria builds up, infecting your teeth, gums and eventually the bone that supports your teeth, a common cause of tooth loss. Gum disease has three stages of progression: gingivitis, periodontitis, and advanced periodontitis; the longer the disease has to advance, the more damage it causes. With advancements in detection and treatment, Fountain Hills Dental Care can discover periodontal disease early and begin treatment before complicated issues arise.

Sealants

Sleep Apnea

Struggling with snoring and sleeplessness? Call your dentist. Snoring and sleep disturbances are often signs of obstructive sleep apnea, and your oral health could be to blame. The condition causes repeated breathing interruptions throughout the night; the pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and may occur 30 or more times per hour. They happen because the airway is obstructed.

The first sign of sleep apnea is often tooth grinding (bruxism). Dentists look for worn tooth surfaces, a sign that a patient grinds his or her teeth. Grinding is just one oral health sign of sleep apnea. Other signs are a small jaw, a tongue with scalloped edges, or redness in the throat (caused by excessive snoring, which is another symptom of sleep apnea).

Smoking Cessation

Congratulations! Just by clicking on this page, you’ve made your first step toward overcoming your nicotine addiction. At Fountain Hills Dental Care, we're here to assist and support you. We'll discuss your goals, educate you on smoking cessation methods and present the treatment options available to help you quit smoking for good.

If you have experienced cosmetic problems associated with tobacco use, ask us about the treatment options available that counter the effects of tobacco use on your appearance, such as whitening agents, porcelain veneers, and crowns.

Make an appointment today by calling us at 480-837-2000 and make a positive impact on your oral and overall health!

Snoring

TMJ/TMD Treatment

Your temporomandibular joint is a hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull, which are in front of each ear. It lets you move your jaw up and down and side to side, so you can talk, chew, and yawn. Problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face that control it are known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD). But you may hear it wrongly called TMJ, after the joint.

Fountain Hills Dental Care

Office Hours

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10:00 AM
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7:00 PM

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8:00 AM
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5:00 PM

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9:00 AM
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5:00 PM

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7:00 AM
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2:00 PM

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8:00 AM
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1:00 PM

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Fountain Hills Dental Care welcomes patients with disabilities. If you need an accommodation to receive dental services, we would be happy to provide one. Please contact us at 480-837-2000 to let us know how we may be of assistance. Services provided by an Arizona licensed general dentist.